Back when we lived together in the States, my wife attempted to plan a “raclette” dinner party at our house. Raclette itself is a semi-hard cheese from Switzerland typically used for melting. (Let’s pause for a second here and appreciate the fact that ‘semi-hard’ is still funny to me because I have not matured one single day since I was 12 years old.)
The word raclette also applies to meals in which small pans, known as coupelles, are filled with meats and vegetables, covered with slices of Swiss cheese, and then placed beneath a table-top grill to melt. After the cheese has completely melted, dinner guests withdraw the coupelles and eat the contents. Then their heads explode because their brains cannot process such an overwhelming rush of deliciousness. Seriously, eating raclette is like having an orgasm in your entire head. (I call it a skullgasm.)
So, what I’m saying is, raclette dinners are awesome. Trying to organize a raclette dinner with all of your busy friends — most of whom have kids — is not. For my German wife, trying to get a bunch of Americans under one roof was like herding cats. Some of our guests had previous commitments to attend to. Some of them forgot what ‘R.S.V.P.’ meant (or actively disregarded it), and others were just too busy wiping baby bottoms to show up. But in the end, my wife managed to organize an awesome dinner, and when it was all over, she collapsed on the couch and sighed…
THE WIFE: “It is always so difficult bringing everybody under one hat!”*
*She later clarified: “That was a Denglish saying! In German we say: ‘Es ist schwierig, alles unter einen Hut zu bringen.’ “
Click here to learn more about the term “Denglish.”
If you liked this post, please follow our blog by entering your email address in the upper right corner of this page. You’ll receive future posts directly in your inbox! No spam, ever! You can also follow us on Twitter and Facebook.
Oh God, My Wife Is German. 
Back when I was a little younger (I would say kid, but technically I’m still not really an adult yet… *sigh*) we used to have raclette as a traditional New Years Dinner. It was quick and easy to prepare, so you wouldn’t have to stay in the kitchen all day and cook a delicious festive dinner. Additionally, it was quite comfortable too, as you could just walk outside for a bit to watch the fireworks or throw snowballs at each other, and then go inside to eat another coupelle. Now that me and my brother are 17 and 20, my parents and grandparents seem to find it ‘unnecessary’ to make raclette, so for the past three or so years, we haven’t really lived up to our tradition. Which is sad of course, because raclette tastes like heaven. On a sidenote, I really enjoy reading your blog! As a German, I sometimes don’t even realise that a certain saying is so typically German until I read your posts. Keep it up!
LikeLike
Thank you Lisa! It’s always awesome to receive encouragement from our German readers.
I hope your family picks the tradition back up!
LikeLike
Of course, who doesn’t know the melted Swiss cheese, the accessories in dishes, all the special things that go with Raclette, the vegetables, the potatoes, the cornichons and all the other things… and who doesn’t miss the stink in your apartment for three days after you had it, no matter how often and wide you had your windows open? LOOOOOL
LikeLike
So true. And oh man, now we MUST have it again. Your description brought it all back to me…
LikeLike